Fifth Republic | French history | Britannica.com Fifth Republic See Article History Fifth Republic, system of government in France from 1958. Under the constitution crafted by Charles de Gaulle with the help of Michel Debré , executive power was increased at the expense of the National Assembly . In 1959 de Gaulle was inaugurated as the first president of the Fifth Republic, with Debré as his prime minister. In 1962 de Gaulle pushed through a constitutional amendment that provided for direct popular election of the president, and in 1965 he became the first French president elected by popular vote since 1848. He was succeeded by Georges Pompidou (1969–74), Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (1974–81), François Mitterrand (1981–95), Jacques Chirac (1995–2007), Nicolas Sarkozy (2007–12), and François Hollande (2012– ). Learn More in these related articles: France: The Fifth Republic country of northwestern Europe.

Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the Western world, France has also played a highly significant role in international affairs, with former colonies in every corner of the globe. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea,... Michel Debré Jan. 15, 1912 Paris, France Aug. 2, 1996 Montlouis-sur-Loire French political leader, a close aide of President Charles de Gaulle; after playing a prominent part in the writing of the constitution of the Fifth Republic, he served as its first premier. 10 References found in Britannica Articles Assorted References creation of French Community (in French Community ) role of Socialist Party (in Socialist Party (PS) ) External Links Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience.

You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Date Published: June 21, 2012 URL: Access Date: December 17, 2016 Share French politics, government and constitution.

About-France.com Government, the Constitution and politics in France A short guide to the institutions of power in France Most recent page update; Jan 2015 The French Constitution: France is a republic; the institutions of governance of France are defined by the Constitution, more specifically by the current constitution, being that of the Fifth Republic. The Constitution has been modified several times since the start of the Fifth Republic, most recently in July 2008, when the French "Congress" (A joint convention of the two chambers of Parliament) approved - by 1 vote over the 60% majority required - constitutional changes proposed by President Sarkozy. The Fifth Republic: The fifth republic was established in 1958, and was largely the work of General de Gaulle - its first president, and Michel Debré his prime minister. It has been amended 17 times. Though the French constitution is parliamentary, it gave relatively extensive powers to the executive (President and Ministers) compared to other western democracies. The executive branch: The head of state and head of the executive is the President, elected by universal suffrage. Since May 2012, France's president is François Hollande.

Originally, a president of the Fifth Republic was elected for a 7-year term (le septennat), renewable any number of times. Since 2002 the President has been elected for a 5-year term (le quinquennat). Since the passing of the 2008 Constitutional reform, the maximum number of terms a president can serve has been limited to two. The President, who is also supreme commander of the military, determines policy with the aid of his Council of Ministers (Conseil des ministres). The residence of the President of the French Republic is the Elysée Palace (le palais de l'Elysée) in Paris. The President appoints a prime minister (currently - 2015 - Manuel Valls ) , who forms a government. The residence of the French Prime Minister is at Matignon House (l'Hôtel Matignon) in Paris. In theory ministers are chosen by the PM; in practice unless the President and the PM are from different sides of the political spectrum (a system known as la cohabitation), PM and president work together to form a government. The President must approve the appointment of government ministers.

The cabinet, le Conseil des ministres, meets on a weekly basis, and is presided over by the president. Ministers determine policy and put new legislation before Parliament in the form of bills (projets de loi); within the framework of existing law, they apply policy through decrees (décrets). The legislative branch: The French parliament is made up of two houses or chambers. The lower and principal house of parliament is the Assemblée nationale, or national assembly; the second chamber is the Sénat or Senate. Members of Parliament, called Députés, are elected by universal suffrage, in general elections (élections législatives) that take place every five years. Senators are elected by "grand electors", who are mostly other local elected representatives. The electoral system for parliamentary elections involves two rounds; a candidate can be elected on the first round by obtaining an absolute majority of votes cast. The second round is a runoff between two or more candidates, usually two. Until 2014, the left-wing Socialist party had a majority in both houses. However, following the municipal elections, the Socialists lost their majority in the Senate in September 2014.

Senators are chosen by "grands électeurs", notably by mayors and other locally elected representatives. The judicial branch: While the Minister of Justice, le Garde des Sceaux, has powers over the running of the justice system and public prosecutors, the judiciary is strongly independent of the executive and legislative branches. The official handbook of French civil law is the Code Civil. Promulgation of laws: New bills (projets de loi), proposed by government, and new pivate members bills (propositions de loi) must be approved by both chambers, before becoming law. However, by virtue of Article 49.3 of the French constitution, a government can override parliamentary opposition and pass a law without a parilimentary vote. This does not happen frequently, and in the framework of constitutional amendments, president Sarkozy curtailed the possibility of using 49.3. However, in 2015, Prime Minister Valls had to resort to using 49.3 in order to push the controversial economic reforms of the "Loi Macron" through parliament, in the face of a revolt by hard left members of his own Socialist party.

Laws and decrees are promulgated when the official text is published in the Official Journal of the French Republic, le Journal Officiel. The Constitutional Council The Constitutional Council , le Conseil constitutionnel, exists to determine the constitutionality of new legislation or decrees. It has powers to strike down a bill before it passes into law, if it is deemed unconstitutional, or to demand the withdrawal of decrees even after promulgation. The Council is made up of nine members, appointed (three each) by the President of the Republic, the leader of the National Assembly, and the leader of the Senate, plus all surviving former heads of state. Political parties; In 2016, France is governed by the Socialist Party .

The main political parties are: On the right: Les Républicains formerly the Popular Union Movement (UMP - Union pour un Mouvement Populaire), Centre right: the New Centre (Nouveau Centre), and the Union of Democrats and Independents (launched in 2012) l'Union des démocrates et indépendants, Centre : The Democratic Movement (Mouvement Démocratique, MoDem) On the left: the Socialist party (Parti Socialiste, PS) - since June 2012 the party in power. The Radical left (les Radicaux de gauche - a centre left group) The Left Front (le Front de Gauche) The French Communist Party (parti Communiste Français - PCF). The Green Party (EELV - Europe Ecologie Les Verts) (See more detailed article: Political parties in France ) France also has some surprisingly resiliant extremist parties on the left and on the right, including the NPA (Nouveau parti anticapitaliste) and the trotskyist Workers' Party (Lutte ouvrière), and the National Front (Front National).

French political system Back to home page click here A SHORT GUIDE TO THE FRENCH POLITICAL SYSTEM Local Government INTRODUCTION Although the Greeks might claim that democracy originates from the ancient city state of Athens, the French could plausibily argue that modern democracy emanates from the French Revolution of 1789 - although the course of democracy in France has hardly run smoothly since then. Indeed, unlike the American political system [ click here ] and the British political system [ click here ] which essentially have existed in their current form for centuries, although the French political system has evolved since 1789 - with the two world wars having a major impact - the current form of the French system is a much more recent construct dating from 1958 and today's Fifth Republic - which centralises substantial power in the President - is a response to the political weaknesses of the pre-Second World War Third Republic and post-war Fourth Republic. The Fifth Republic came about following a political crisis over France's colonial war in Algeria, when Charles de Gaulle took power under a new constitution which gave the President new executive powers compared to the Fourth Republic, making the post uniquely powerful in European politics.

The current constitution can only be changed with the support of three-fifths (60%) of the Congress which is the body formed when both houses of parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, meet at the Palace of Versailes to vote on proposed revisions to the constitution. During the presidential election of 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy's manifesto proposed changes to modernise the institutions of the Fifth Republic. The Comité de réflexion et de proposition sur la modernisation et le rééquilibrage des institutions (literally : "A committee of reflection and proposal on the modernisation and the re-balancing of the institutions") presided over by Édouard Balladur, a former Prime Minister, was established in July 2007 and submitted its report to the President in October 2007. This resulted in a bill which was approved by both chambers of the legislature in 2008. Controversially, the final approval was secured by only one vote more than the required three-fifths majority of votes cast. Jack Lang, who broke his party whip, voted for the changes.

The President of the National Assembly, Bernard Accoyer, also voted for them which defied the tradition whereby the President of the Assembly abstains from voting. Without those two votes, the bill would not have passed. The bill re-evaluated the role of the executive and strengthened the parliament's powers. The President was banned from exercising more than two consecutive periods in office. There was limitation of the exceptional power of the President after 30 and 60 days. However, some of the proposals were not ratified, such as the introduction of proportional representation for election of the National Assembly, the reform of representation in the Senate, and the ban on dual mandates. Following the terrorist attacks in Paris on the evening of 13 November 2015, there are currently proposals to amend the French Constitution to enshrine state of emergency powers in the constitution, making them easier to activate, and to strip people convicted of terrorist offences of their French nationality. THE PRESIDENCY Four of France's five Republics have had presidents as their heads of state, making the French presidency the oldest presidency in Europe still to exist in some form.

However, in each of the Republics' constitutions, the President's powers, functions and duties - and his relation with French governments - have differed. Under the Third and Fourth Republic, which were parliamentary systems, the office of President of the Republic was a largely ceremonial and powerless one. The constitution of the current Fifth Republic greatly increased the President's powers. Consequently the Presidency is easily the most powerful position in the French political system. Duties include heading the armed forces, appointment of the Prime Minister, power to dismiss the National Assembly, chairing the Council of Ministers (equivalent to the Cabinet in Britain), appointing the members of the highest appellate court and the Constitutional Court, chairing the Higher Council of the Judiciary, negotiating all foreign treaties, and the power to call referenda, but all domestic decisions must be approved by the Prime Minister. The President has a very limited form of suspensive veto: when presented with a law, he or she can request another reading of it by Parliament, but only once per law. The official residence of the President is the Elys&#233e Palace.

Since 1875, the President has been barred from appearing in person before the National Assembly or the Senate in order to ensure that the executive and the legislature are kept seperate. However, in 2008, a constitutional amendment was carried which enables the President to convene the Congress of the French parliament in order to make a declaration. A debate may then follow his declaration, without his presence. Candidates for the Presidency must obtain 500 sponsoring signatures of elected officials from at least 30 departments or overseas territories. The post is directly elected in a two-stage voting system. A candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round is elected. However, if no candidate receives 50%, there is a second round which is a run-off between the two candidates who secured the most votes in the first round. This is held two weeks later. All elections are held on a Sunday. The term is five years, a reduction from the previous seven years. A President can seek a second term and normally secures it, but two Presidents of the Fifth Republic have failed a re-election bid: Val&#233ry Giscard d'Estaing and Nicolas Sarkozy.

In the French political system, the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister - the first- and second-highest authorities respectively - is critical. It is not always the case that these two individuals come from the same political party or part of the political spectrum and, when they are of different political persuasion (as was the case in 1986, 1993 and 1997), the two figures must practice a process of 'cohabitation'. In May 2012, Nicolas Sarkozy, the incumbent President and candidate of the conservative UMP, was beaten in the second round of the Presidential election by the Socialist Party candidate Fran&#231ois Hollande, the self-syled 'Mr Normal', who gained 51.63% of the vote. Hollande is the first socialist President in France for 17 years and has never previously held ministerial office. He soon became so unpopular in the polls that he acquired the new nickname of Monsieur Flanby - a reference to a wobbly French pudding. The next Presidential election will be held in May 2017.

THE EXECUTIVE The head of the government is the Prime Minister who is nominated by the majority party in the National Assembly and appointed by the President for an indefinite term. The Prime Minister recommends Ministers to the President, sets out Ministers' duties and responsibilities, and manages the daily affairs of government. He issues decrees and is responsible for national defence. Following the election of the new President Fran&#231ois Hollande in May 2012, Jean-Marc Ayrault - who was previously leader of the Socialist group in parliament - was appointed Prime Minister. However, following local elections in March 2014 when the Socialists did very badly, a new Prime Minister was appointed by Hollande: Manuel Valls, who has been likened to the British politician Tony Blair. Interestingly, he was born in Spain and only acquired French citizenship at the age of 17 - his father was Spanish and his mother Swiss. In December 2016, Valls stepped down from the premiership to seek the candidature of his party in the forthcoming presidential elections. So the new prime miniuster is Bernard Cazeneuve.

The Council of Ministers - typically consisting of around 15-16 individuals - is headed by the Prime Minister but chaired by the President. The total size of the ministerial team is typically 30-40. The members of the Council are called Ministers, while the junior ministers are known as Secretaries of State - the reverse of the nomenclature in the British political system. It is customary for the President, in consultation with the Prime Minister, to select elected representatives from the National Assembly for ministerial posts, but this is not a set rule. For example, there has been Raymond Barre, Prime Minister (1976-81), who prior to that appointment was a university economics lecturer, while Thierry Breton, Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry (2005-07) was a business man. THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY The lower house in the French political system is the National Assembly. This has 577 seats representing single-member constituencies. The 2.5 million French people living abroad have the opportunity to vote in one of 11 constituencies grouping areas of the world together. Members of the National Assembly are directly elected in a two-stage voting system.

A candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round is elected. However, if no candidate receives 50%, there is a second round which is a run-off between all those first round candidates who secured more than 12.5% of the votes in that first round. This is held one week later. All elections are held on a Sunday. Members of the National Assembly serve five-year terms. The National Assembly tends to specialise in scrutinising day-to-day government business. In cases of disagreement with the Senate, the position of the National Assembly prevails. Critics have argued that the Assembly is weak in terms of setting its own agenda and holding the exeutive to account. The last Assembly elections were held in June 2012 when the Socialist grouping won a comfortable victory over the Right-wing grouping, taking 331 seats to 229 (17 members are outside the two groups). The next Assembly elections will be held in June 2017. Link: French National Assembly click here THE SENATE The upper house in the French political system is the Senate.

This currently has a total of 348 seats (the number depends on population changes): 323 representing mainland France, 13 representing French overseas territories, and 12 representing French nationals abroad. Many French Senators are also high-level local officials. Members of the Senate are indirectly elected by an electoral college of 88,000 made up of city councillors and local officials which provides a rural and therefore Right-wing bias to the process. Indeed, since the Fifth Republic was established in 1958, Right-wing parties have always held a majority in the Senate until the elections of September 2011 when the Left took control for the first time. Members serve a six-year term - a reduction from the previous nine years - and one-half of seats (previously one-third) come up for election every three years. In the last Senate elections in September 2014, the far-Right Front National won representation - two seats - for the first time and the Left lost its majority. The next Senate elections will be held in September 2017.

The Senate tends to specialise in constitutional matters and foreign affairs including European integration (it has a 'listening post' in Brussels, the headquarters of the European Union). The Senate meets in the Luxembourg Palace. The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency Background: France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the G-20, the EU, and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing DE GAULLE's 1966 decision to withdraw French forces from NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999.

In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion - became French regions and were made part of France proper.

Geography :: FRANCE metropolitan France: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname Guadeloupe: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico Martinique: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Mayotte: Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about halfway between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E French Guiana: 4 00 N, 53 00 W Guadeloupe: 16 15 N, 61 35 W Martinique: 14 40 N, 61 00 W Mayotte: 12 50 S, 45 10 E Reunion: 21 06 S, 55 36 E exclusive economic zone

: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean Sea) continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average Mayotte: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April) metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the

 seven other islands are volcanic in origin Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano Mayotte: generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast elevation extremes: lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m note: to assess the possible effects of climate change on the ice and snow cap of Mont Blanc, its surface and peak have been extensively measured in recent years; these new peak measurements have exceeded the traditional height of 4,807 m and have varied between 4,808 m and 4,811 m; the actual rock summit is 4,792 m and is 40 m away from the ice-covered summit metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, arable land, fish French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,

 Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements largest West European nation; most major French rivers - the Meuse, Seine, Loire, Charente, Dordogne, and Garonne - flow northward or westward into the Atlantic Ocean, only the Rhone flows southward into the Mediterranean Sea People and Society :: FRANCE Population: 66,836,154 note: the above figure is for metropolitan France and five overseas regions; the metropolitan France population is 62,814,233 (July 2016 est.) country comparison to the world: 22 Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indoch

inese, Basque minorities overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian French (official) 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) overseas departments: French, Creole patois, Mahorian (a Swahili dialect) Religions: Christian (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic) 63-66%, Muslim 7-9%, Buddhist 0.5-0.75%, Jewish 0.5-0.75%, other 0.5-1.0%, none 23-28% note: France maintains a tradition of secularism and has not officially collected data on religious affiliation since the 1872 national census, which complicates assessments of France's religious composition; an 1872 law prohibiting state authorities from collecting data on individuals' ethnicity or religious beliefs was reaffirmed by a 1978 law emphasizing the prohibition of the collection or exploitation of personal data revealing an individual's race, ethnicity, or political, philosophical, or religious opinions; a 1905 law codified France's separation of

 church and state (2015 est.) 0-14 years: 18.59% (male 6,354,241/female 6,070,971) 15-24 years: 11.8% (male 4,035,407/female 3,853,153) 25-54 years: 38.04% (male 12,799,923/female 12,625,781) 55-64 years: 12.44% (male 4,011,853/female 4,303,261) 65 years and over: 19.12% (male 5,510,337/female 7,271,227) (2016 est.) population pyramid: geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight

 saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: applies to metropolitan France only, not to its overseas departments, collectivities, or territories Administrative divisions: 18 regions (regions, singular - region); Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comte (Burgundy-Free County), Bretagne (Brittany), Centre-Val de Loire (Center-Loire Valley), Corse (Corsica), Grand Est (Grand East), Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Hauts-de-France (Upper France), Ile-de-France, Martinique, Mayotte, Normandie (Normandy), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (New Aquitaine), Occitanie (Occitania), Pays de la Loire (Lands of the Loire), Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Reunion note: France is divided into 13 metropolitan regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and 5 overseas regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion) and is subdivided into 96 metropolitan departments and 

5 overseas departments (which are the same as the overseas regions) Dependent areas: Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica; New Caledonia has been considered a "sui generis" collectivity of France since 1998, a unique status falling between that of an independent country and a French overseas department Independence: no official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French Republic founded); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established) National holiday: Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 

14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July) Constitution: history: many previous; latest effective 4 October 1958 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic (upon recommendation of the prime minister and Parliament) or by members of Parliament; proposals submitted by Parliament members require passage by both houses followed by approval in a referendum; passage of proposals submitted by the government can bypass a referendum if submitted by the president to Parliament and passed by at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament’s National Assembly; amended many times, last in 2008 (2016) chief of state: President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012) head of government: Prime Minister Bernard CAZENEUVE (since 6 December 2016) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22 April and

 6 May 2012 (next to be held in the spring of 2017); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Francois HOLLANDE elected president; percent of vote in first round - Francois HOLLANDE (PS) 28.6%, Nicolas SARKOZY (UMP) 27.2%, Marine LE PEN (FN) 17.9%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (PG) 11.1%, Francois BAYROU (moDem) 9.1%, other 6.1%; percent of vote in second round - HOLLANDE 51.6%, SARKOZY 48.4% Legislative branch: description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (348 seats - 328 for metropolitan France and overseas departments and regions of Guadeloupe, Martinque, French Guiana, Reunion, and Mayotte, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for French Polynesia, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 1 for Wallis and

 Futuna, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members indirectly elected by departmental electoral colleges using absolute majority vote in two rounds if needed for departments with 1-3 members and proportional representation vote in departments with 4 or more members; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats - 556 for metropolitan France, 10 for overseas departments, and 11 for citizens abroad; members directly elected by absolute majority vote in two rounds if needed to serve 5-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 28 September 2014 (next to be held in September 2017); National Assembly - last held on 10 and 17 June 2012 (next to be held in June 2017) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 187, PS 152, other 9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - PS 48.5%, UMP 33.6%, miscellaneous left wing parties 3.8%, Greens 

3.0%, miscellaneous right wing parties 2.6%, NC 2.1%, PRG 2.1%, FDG 1.7%, other 2.6%; seats by party - PS 280, UMP 194, miscellaneous left wing parties 22, Greens 17, miscellaneous right wing parties 15, NC 12, PRG 12, FDG 10, other 15 Judicial branch: highest court(s): Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of the court president, 6 divisional presiding judges, 120 trial judges, and 70 deputy judges organized into 6 divisions - 3 civil, 1 commercial, 1 labor, and 1 criminal); Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members) judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the president of the republic from nominations from the High Council of the Judiciary, presided by the Court of Cassation and 15 appointed members; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council members appointed - 3 by the president of the republic and 3 each by the National Assembly and Senate presidents; members serve 9-year,

 non-renewable terms with one third of the membership renewed every 3 years subordinate courts: appellate courts or Cour d'Appel; regional courts or Tribunal de Grande Instance; first instance courts or Tribunal d'instance Europe Ecology - The Greens or EELV [David CORMAND] French Communist Party or PCF [Pierre LAURENT] Left Front Coalition or FDG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON] Left Party or PG [Jean-Luc MELENCHON and Martine BILLARD] Left Radical Party or PRG [Sylvia PINEL] (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and the Left Radical Movement or MRG) Movement for France or MPF [Philippe DE VILLIERS] National Front or FN [Marine LE PEN] New Anticapitalist Party or NPA [collective leadership; main spokesperson Christine POUPIN] New Center or NC [Herve MORIN] Radical Party [Jean-Louis BORLOO] Rally for France or RPF [Igor KUREK] Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean-Luc LAURENT] Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Christophe CAMBADELIS] The Republicans (formerly Union for a Popular Movement or U

MP) [Francois FILLON] Union des Democrates et Independants or UDI [Jean-Christohe LAGARDE] and Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU] (previously Union for French Democracy or UDF); together known as UDI-Modem United Republic or RS [Dominique DE VILLEPIN] Worker's Struggle (Lutte Ouvriere) or LO [collective leadership; spokespersons Nathalie ARTHAUD and Arlette LAQUILLER] Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation francaise de l'encadrement - Confederation generale des cadres (French Confederation of Management - General Confederation of Executives) or CFE-CGC [Francois HOMMERIL, president] (independent white-collar union with 140,000 members) Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail (French Democratic Confederation of Labor) or CFDT [Laurent BERGER, secretary general] (left-leaning labor union with approximately 875,000 members) Confederation francaise des travailleurs chretiens (French Confederation of Christian Workers) or CFTC [Philippe LOUIS,

 president] (independent labor union founded by Catholic workers that claims 142,000 members) Confederation generale du travail (General Confederation of Labor) or CGT [Philippe MARTINEZ, secretary general] (historically communist labor union with approximately 710,000 members) Confederation generale du travail - Force ouvriere (General Confederation of Labor - Worker's Force) or FO [Jean-Claude MAILLY, secretary general] (independent labor union with an estimated 300,000 members) Mouvement des entreprises de France or MEDEF [Pierre GATTAZ, president] (employers' union with claimed 750,000 companies as members) French Guiana: conservationists; gold mining pressure groups; hunting pressure groups Guadeloupe: Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG Movement for an Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI The Socialist Renewal Movement Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC Central Union for Martinique Workers or CSTM Frantz Fanon Circle League of Workers and Peas

ants Proletarian Action Group or GAP Reunion: International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, FZ, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris

 Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNRWA, UNSC (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC chief of mission: Ambassador Gerard ARAUD (since 18 September 2014) chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000 FAX: [1] (202) 944-6166 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC chief of mission: Ambassador Jane D.

HARTLEY (since 5 November 2014); note - also accredited to Monaco embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 mailing address: PSC 116, APO AE 09777 telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22 FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83 consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution when the "ancient French color" of white was combined with the blue and red colors of the Parisian militia; the official flag for all French dependent areas note: the design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Netherlands name: "La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille) lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUG

ET de Lisle note: adopted 1795, restored 1870; originally known as "Chant de Guerre pour l'Armee du Rhin" (War Song for the Army of the Rhine), the National Guard of Marseille made the song famous by singing it while marching into Paris in 1792 during the French Revolutionary Wars Economy :: FRANCE Economy - overview: The French economy is diversified across all sectors.

The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, including Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. However, the government maintains a strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. With more than 84 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most visited country in the world and maintains the third largest income in the world from tourism. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that mitigate economic inequality. France's real GDP increased by 1.1% in 2015. The unemployment rate (including overseas territories) increased from 7.8% in 2008 to 9.9% in the fourth quarter of 2014. Youth unemployment in metropolitan France decreased from a high of 25.4% in the fourth quarter of 2012 to 24.3% in the fourth quarter of 2014. Lower-than-expected growth and high spending have strained France's public finances.

The budget deficit rose sharply from 3.3% of GDP in 2008 to 7.5% of GDP in 2009 before improving to 4% of GDP in 2014 and 2015, while France's public debt rose from 68% of GDP to more than 98% in 2015, and may hit 100% in 2016. Elected on a conventionally leftist platform, President Francois HOLLANDE surprised and angered many supporters with a January 2014 speech announcing a sharp change in his economic policy, recasting himself as a liberalizing reformer. The government's budget for 2014 shifted the balance of fiscal consolidation from taxes to a total of $24 billion in spending cuts. In December 2014, HOLLANDE announced additional reforms, including a plan to extend commercial business hours, liberalize professional services, and sell off $6.2-12.4 billion in state owned assets. France’s tax burden remains well above the EU average and income tax cuts over the past decade are being partly reversed, particularly for higher earners.

The top rate of income tax is 41%. The government is allowing a 75% payroll tax on salaries over $1.24 million to lapse.

0.05% (31 December 2014) 0.25% (31 December 2013) note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area country comparison to the world: 148 2% (31 December 2016 est.) 1.93% (31 December 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 176 $1.144 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) $1.079 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of country comparison to the world: 6 $2.541 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) $2.771 trillion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 $3.64

 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) $3.528 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 $2.088 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) $2.086 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) $2.301 trillion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 534 billion kWh (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 431 billion kWh (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 75 billion kWh (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 2 7.9 billion kWh (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 30 129 million kW (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 20.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 195 48.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) country comparison to the

 world: 2 14.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 103 11.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 30 Merchant marine: total: 162 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 7, chemical tanker 34, container 27, liquefied gas 12, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 41, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 11 foreign-owned: 50 (Belgium 7, Bermuda 5, Denmark 11, French Polynesia 11, Germany 1, New Caledonia 3, Singapore 3, Sweden 4, Switzerland 5) registered in other countries: 151 (Bahamas 15, Belgium 7, Bermuda 1, Canada 1, Cyprus 16, Egypt 1, Hong Kong 4, Indonesia 1, Ireland 2, Italy 2, Luxembourg 15, Malta 8, Marshall Islands 7, Mexico 1, Morocco 3

, Netherlands 2, Norway 5, Panama 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Singapor (2010) country comparison to the world: 36 major seaport(s): Brest, Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, river port(s): Paris, Rouen (Seine); Strasbourg (Rhine); Bordeaux (Garronne) container port(s): Le Havre (2,215,262)(2011) cruise/ferry port(s): Calais, Cherbourg, Le Havre LNG terminal(s) (import): Fos Cavaou, Fos Tonkin, Montoir de Bretagne Military and Security :: FRANCE country comparison to the world: 47 Transnational Issues :: FRANCE Disputes - international: Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east

 of New Caledonia refugees (country of origin): 24,220 (Sri Lanka); 14,195 (Russia); 14,182 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 12,500 (Serbia and Kosovo); 11,824 (Cambodia); 10,652 (Turkey); 8,132 (Vietnam); 6,944 (Laos); 6,005 (Guinea); 5,179 (Syria); 5,006 (Mauritania) (2015) stateless persons: 1,326 (2015) metropolitan France: transshipment point for South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics French Guiana: small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe Martinique: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe

Question: Appointed in 2012, who is the President of the Fifth French Republic?
Answer: Francois Hollande